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The Story of Peak Oil and Cuba

Like it or not, oil remains an integral part of everyday life around the globe. Beyond fuel for our automobiles, oil drives the production of the consumer culture of capitalism that is spreading around the globe. The theory of peak oil was proposed back in the 1970s, and reasons that because oil is a finite resource, the available stores of that resource will at some point peak, and then begin a decline. The speed of that decline could determine how catastrophic - or not - the stresses associated with less oil will be.

The island nation of Cuba went through something like a peak oil crisis in the 1990s when their economy collapsed along with the fall of Soviet Communism. The Power of Community is the story of how Cuba managed the crisis and moved forward without any major violence or upheaval. Clocking in at just over 50 minutes, it's a story worth watching and worth talking about. It may even give people some ideas about actions to take in their own community in anticipation of the effects of a diminishing oil supply.

Visit the website for more information and news about the film, the people who made it, and how to have - or where to see - a screening.